The Secret of Scent: Adventures in Perfume and the Science of Smell

Good product and vast delivery

Sadly the quality of the book is like some photocopied and sold it. Even paperback books have a better feel and look tgan rhis book. I am disappointed

Great

Luca Turin's book concerns our sense of smell, or at least, his argument that human's distinguish between different molecules which emit smells due to their vibration. Four of our sensory systems, which is to say, vision, hearing, touch and taste are reasonably well understood and documented. However, our fifth sense, that of smell, is somewhat of an unknown, the subject of continued debate. Just how does the human olfactory system differentiate between one fragrance or smell and another? This is the question Luca Turin's book seeks to address as part of the science of smell, in relation to his long-term work within the perfume industry. His argument is that we differentiate smells due to what is called 'vibration theory of olfaction'. Turin is not the first to theorise on the subject of smell differentiation. Others in this field have - and in some cases still do - hold the view that our sense of smell is no different from what occurs with systems elsewhere in the human body, which rely on receptors and the shape of molecules...but there's a problem with this approach. For example, there are molecules that are quite different in their structure and yet smell exactly the same. The smell of almonds is a good example. One type tastes great in the form of marzipan on cakes, the other type will kill you! But you need to read the book to put this in its correct perspective. The shape theory is also known as the 'lock and key' model. The vibration theory has it that the bonds between atoms which make up all molecules actually stretch, vibrate or bend and twist at certain frequencies between their covalent bonds (or molecular bonds); a chemical bond that involves sharing of the electron pairs between atoms. Much of Turin's argument was strengthened in 1991 when biologists Dr Linda Buck and Dr Richard Axel discovered what are called transmembrane proteins which are believed to be the odour receptors and the genes that encode them, a significant step in our understanding of how the olfactory system works and which earned them a Nobel prize in 2004. While Turin's book is beautifully written and provides a solid argument and clear explanation, it is not for the chemistry novice. Some understanding of organic chemistry is essential, in particular benzene ring molecules. However, additional information is readily available from the Internet and a little research is certainly well worth the effort to fully appreciate this superbly interesting text book, which can, for academic purposes, be considered an excellent primary source.

I love how well Dr. Turin explains the science behind perfume, you actually get a feel for the molecular structure that can lead to a type of scent recognition (or not, structure is not always = function). Admittedly, I have a bit of a scientific background so not everyone might be as appreciative as me.However, this is a great read for anyone who is looking to understand as well as admire scents!

If you are interested in perfumes this is a must read, explaining a lot of how scents are made and how the industry works.

I will leave it up to Mr Turin and his fellow researchers in this field to determine whether his theory is correct or not. Certainly I applaud him for putting it out there - to misquote Fran Liebowitz "no one has ever said, everything is fine, let's go invent fire". If Columbus, and every other sailor after him stayed with current knowledge, where would the global village be today? My own wishful thinking is that this marvellous bio-chemical-mechanical machine we call a body, does indeed operate in the quantum realm in some form or fashion. Mainly though my review is on all the marvellous content other than quantum mechanical noses, that this book contains. I envy Mr Turin's access and profession which allows him to research at will. His book was a delightful cornucopia of obscure (to the layman) data, spanning physics, chemistry, history, all put togther in a well written, entertaining, engrossing format. It was a pleasure to jump all over the map of science with him, it was a pleasure to see the coherence and methodology of what may at first appear to be a random interest in all matters scientific, it was a pleasure to witness the avid curiosity of his mind, and the quality of his writing on the whole - each turn of phrase, choice of words, made for an exceptional read. This book, with its numerous bits of data on all sorts of wonderful and interesting things, has led me to many enjoyable reads, retracing as best I can the footsteps of the author's reading and research.